MADISON, Wis. -- Compliments of five runners in the top 25, the 14th-ranked University of Michigan women's cross country team won its third straight NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Friday (Nov. 15) at Wisconsin's Zimmer Championship Course. The win automatically punched the Wolverines a ticket to the NCAA Championships on Nov. 23 in Terre Haute, Ind.

Accurso and freshmanErin Finn(West Bloomfield, Mich./West Bloomfield) were part of the lead pack that set that tone of the race early. That pack was moving at a 5:25 pace at the one-mile marker, with Finn sitting in a third place in that tight front pack.

Junior Brook Handler(Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester), sophomore Shannon Osika(Waterford, Mich./Mott) and sophomore Taylor Manett(Rockford, Mich./Rockford) were packed up just behind that lead group, with senior/junior Megan Weschler(Wyandotte, Mich./Roosevelt) close behind at the mile mark.

Finn made a move just before the 2K mark to jump into the lead and remained there through the 4K mark. With 2,000 meters to go, Michigan and Butler were the other two teams with two runners in the top 10 -- Finn held on to the lead, while Osika was sitting in ninth place. Around the 16:30 mark, Finn was overtaken by Accurso, who eventually won the race by a nine-second margin.

Finn ran to a runner-up finish in a time of 20:09. Osika (20:25) and Handler (20:27) teamed up for the final 100 meters, placing sixth and seventh, respectively, to hold off Michigan State's Rachele Schulist (20:30) in eighth place.

Manett, who was in 12th place with about 800 meters to go, finished strong, placing 11th in a time of 20:36. Weschler was Michigan's fifth and final scorer, crossing the line at 20:55 to take 22nd overall.